What is Amazon’s Water Sustainability Spotlight?

For World Water Day, Amazon has published a new spotlight on water on its website, which outlines its water strategy and its replenishment projects.

This online experience aims to highlight how the company is working to become a good water steward wherever it operates.

Amazon’s water goals

Amazon’s water spotlight shows how the company uses its scale and innovation to protect water-stressed regions.

The company says that organisations should make collective progress towards managing water in smarter ways, in order to ensure ongoing access to clean water.

Amazon has created targets to return more water to communities than it uses in its data centre operations globally by 2030.

It highlights the importance of water as a crucial shared resource, acknowledging that the choices in its business matter to communities, ecosystems and the planet.

Overall, Amazon is working on conserving water in the operation of its facilities, including data centres, grocery stores and fulfilment centres.

Meighan McLafferty, Director, Industry Relations – Sustainability and The Climate Pledge at Amazon, said on LinkedIn: “Have you ever wondered how much water AI data centres really use, or how farmers are using innovative technology to conserve water? Did you know that globally, about 30% of water is lost to leakage?

“Amazon’s newly launched spotlight on water addresses these questions and more. Being a responsible water steward requires moving beyond simple conservation; it requires an all-hands-on-deck mentality and a commitment to both people and the planet.

“By leveraging an innovation-focused approach, we are working to ensure that our operational choices support the long-term health of the planet and the communities we call home.”

Water replenishment projects

One of Amazon’s primary objectives is to replenish water in its operations and beyond.

It is investing in water replenishment projects that can increase water access, availability and quality through restoring watersheds and bringing clean water and sanitation to the most water-stressed communities.

It currently has more than 45 water replenishment projects around the world.

Through its efforts, more than 18 billion litres of water is expected to be returned to communities each year.

Its projects span 14 countries and address water quantity, quality, access to drinking water, leakages and reduced stream flow.

For example, Amazon has collaborated with The Nature Conservancy and the City of Cape Town to clear invasive species from 300 hectares of land in the watershed serving the city.

This process aims to increase the water supply in Cape Town’s reservoirs.

Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon, said on LinkedIn: “Technology can be the game changer. Amazon is working with Xylem to reduce leaks by installing smart sensors for water pressure management. 

“The project has already saved 1.8 billion litres of water – enough to fill 720 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“Each project has a distinct story – because while the water crisis is global, it looks different in every community.”

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Reusing water at data centres

Another pillar of Amazon’s water strategy is its focus on reusing water, by sourcing water from sustainable sources such as recycled or harvested rainwater.

This helps to minimise demands on public water supplies.

The company has 31 on-site water treatment facilities at AWS data centres, which allows for additional reuse of water and greater water efficiency.

In November 2025, AWS announced a major expansion of its use of recycled water at data centres across the US.

This project is expected to preserve more than 530 million gallons of fresh drinking water annually.

Through this initiative, AWS is working with utilities to collect treated wastewater, clean it to certain standards and reuse it.